Toledo & Getting back home.

Sorry for the staggering update here, but we were waiting for some photos to show up for the post and they still have not surfaced.

No matter though, i’ve got plenty of footage and other pictures from toledo and other parts of the trip.

After we left Chicago we made it about halfway through Indiana and stayed in an area that would best be described as Amish-ville. it was like the Mecca of single horse drawn carriages and dissaproving stares from the occpants as i accidentally blew through a indiana stop sign or two….whoops.

nine inch drums people, optional fuction comes standard.

Continuing out of Indiana we finially hit Ohio again since the first time only 20 days ago…(is that it?)

So we had made it to the infamous intersection of Jeep Parkway and Wiillys Parkway. But for the uninformed the factory that once stood here, the OLDEST automotive factory in the work, was demolished unceramoniously by Chrysler back in 2003. how sad. the demolition took with it many artifacts and original blueprints from as far back as bantam and i’m sure other priceless pieces of american history that i guess we’ll never know. apparently the job could have been better taken care of from the people that we talked to while in the area.

all that remains is a lone smokestack fenced into a few hundred acre lot where this landmark once stood. from what i understand the smokestack should remain there, although the cut off the top of it where it use to say “willys overland”. after hearing the story of the factory’s demolition, and the way it was handled by chrysler and the people they contracted to do the job i decided it was just about the most unamerican thing i’ve ever heard of. There were other items STILL IN THE FACTORY when they demo’d it, including a large wooden desk that all the willys executives and alledgedlyThomas Edison once sat at.

alot of what i’m typing here sounds like it’s slightly rumored…but it makes you think. WTF. i do know i’ve seen a picture on the internet where an orignial blueprint for a jeep was blowing against a chainlink fence shortly after the demolition. makes the stomach churn. uhng.

well that was the very first place we stopped at in toledo after that we tracked down the Willys Overland location and stopped in.

it wasn’t long before the owner and others were outside scoping out our mode of transportation. one of them noticed that i was missing a shifter bezel and without even asking they handed out some freebies and remedied my issues. they hooked us up with a tour of their warehouse and even helped us find a place to stay. BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE AT WILLYLS OVERLAND

check their website at

willysoverland.com

here we are on their visitor’s section:

http://willysoverland.com/index.php/WO/visitors/

you guys rock.

Also while in the area we hit yet another willlys parts supplier. this place was different from overland motors because he dealt mainly in NOS parts for you resoration nazi’s who hate omixada.

Z&M jeeps is also located in Toledo although you will have to work a bit harder to find their location. trust me it’s worth the search.  Zack i believe is the owner and showed us around and like overland hooked us up with some more freebies. AWESOME! he saw the wrath my homemade hoodblocks had recieved and grabbed a new set off the shelf and now my windshield folds down with confidence.

if you are in search of a tough drivetrain part or a NOS part that you are missing from your original restoration…look no further:

zmjeeps.com

 

finially we were off to the NEW toledo jeep plant where the build the new JK wranglers…ah ha.

A huge thanks goes out to Gloria (quality control manage for JK production) who did alot of legwork just to get us hiked around the production lines and a chance to meet so many great folks.

I think our visit to the plant went way beyond our hopes, it was head and shoulders above what i was expecting. the people of Toledo really put alot into these new jeeps and they’ve changed our outlook on the new model. (everyone is slow to accept something new).

I hope everyone who saw or met us that day knows how much we appreciate our visit to their place of work, more than a few guys off the line opened their wallets and donated gas money ON THE SPOT! that was amazing. we weren’t there to beg at all. i’m working to figure out the names of the donors so that they can be properly recognized.

we also met up with the executives who run Toledo North and they donated as well. thanks guys you rule.

This is Gerome, a gentleman who has been working for jeep since 1946 if i remember right…that’s 2 years longer than these old willys have even been in existence! i believe he is 80yrs old and still employed at the same company, now that’s dedication.

he said himself seeing these old rigs makes him remember the old days, he said it “gives him a pain right there (points to his chest)” but he was the most lively guy we saw that day. telling us that once he’s down checking out our jeeps he was off to go dancing. this guy has a firm grip on life, nothing slows him down.

We also weasled our way up to the huge jeep sign and parked it next to the new 08 JK rubicon unlmited…now there is a stark contrast….there’s 80 years of history between those two models.

that’s it for now, there are literally over 100 photos that jeep is going to send us fromthe factory tour so stay tuned, i’ll post soon.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT THE TOLEDO NORTH FACTORY!

-Paul